Florida Legislature

The Floridian is a statewide and national political media platform that covers government affairs, elections, public policy, and campaigns on Florida politics. These stories are focused on Florida and the inner workings of the Florida Legislature
KEY WEST, FL—Florida Fish and Wildlife intercepted and repatriated 16 Cuban refugees attempting to reach the U.S. three miles south of Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West. The 16 potential immigrants came from Cuba, which is just 90 miles south of the Southernmost Point of the continental United States. They were aboard a chug—a type […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—A federal court ruled that a transgender teacher's First Amendment rights were violated by a 2023 law requiring educators to provide pronouns that are consistent with their biological sex. This preliminary ruling, however, does not apply statewide. It only addresses the two plaintiffs, transgender Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood, and nonbinary educator AV Schwandes, […]
SAINT PETERSBURG, FL—Five new bills cracking down on pedophiles were signed into law Wednesday, which increase penalties for child groomers, provide funds for catching online molesters, and create new training requirements for law enforcement officers. "In Florida, we stand for the wellbeing and the innocence of our children," Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Saint […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Just one week after Florida's Supreme Court allowed a 6-week abortion ban to take hold of the state, Arizona's Supreme Court has upheld a 123-year-old law barring all abortions except to save the mother's life, showing abortion may be the biggest drive for turnout in the November General Election. Arizona's law, codified in 1901, […]
STUART, FL—Tuesday Morning Governor Ron DeSantis signed a retail theft bill into law, instituting a severe crackdown on the Sunshine State's high levels of shoplifting and porch piracy. "We're a law and order state. If you do the crime, you do the time," DeSantis said. He hosted his press conference at a Walgreens in Stuart, […]
SANFORD, FL—During a press conference addressing Florida's fentanyl crisis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo praised the Sunshine State's transgender sports ban in the wake of the Summer Olympics imposing new restrictions on transgender athletes. Who would have thought it would be controversial to allow girls to compete with other girls and not have to compete with […]
SANFORD, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis signed two fentanyl bills into law Monday morning, creating a second-degree felony for individuals who expose first responders to fentanyl, designating June 6th as Revival Awareness Day, and expanding a fentanyl-recovery program to a total of 29 Florida counties. "We have massive amounts of fentanyl pouring into the country from the […]
Former State Representative and U.S. Congress hopeful Anthony Sabatini (R-FL) posted a picture of himself with former President Donald Trump (R) and accused his 2024 Republican primary opponent – Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL) – of lying about receiving Trump’s endorsement. “FACT: My opponent RINO Dan Webster has NEVER been endorsed by President Trump – not […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—In the wake of the Sunshine State's abortion decisions, a Tallahassee freshman is taking the initiative to register young women to vote—stressing the need for youth Democratic voters—while a pregnancy call center slams the "right to choice" amendment. "We distributed a thousand tulips at campuses across the state, teaming up with some sororities to […]
When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the state was going to “smell like marijuana” if voters supported the Amendment 3 initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and eventually fail, the heads of his detractors and Democratic politicians exploded. Gov. DeSantis has been pummeled with criticism over his remarks, but his very […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis is worried that if marijuana (pot) is legalized in Florida, the whole Sunshine State will smell like pot. “It’s basically a license to have it anywhere you want. No time, place, and manner restrictions. This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns, it will reduce […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Two Florida Supreme Court decisions targeting opposing sides of the abortion debate are causing a deeper party split within the Sunshine State, with each party accusing the other of "radical" agendas leading up to the November General Election. Monday afternoon, the Supreme Court allowed an abortion amendment protecting abortion rights until "fetal viability"—around 24 […]
POLK COUNTY, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis slammed President Joe Biden Wednesday morning for flying over 300,000 migrants into Florida, accusing the president of enacting secretive and illegal precedents. The migrant flights are "illegal and not constitutional," DeSantis said at a Polk County press conference, where he announced $2.5 billion in highway overhauls. "They don't tell us […]
POLK COUNTY, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis signed Wednesday morning a $2.5 billion funding package revamping Central Florida's I-4 corridor, addressing the Sunshine State's booming population and its resulting explosion in traffic congestion. Building off of the $4 billion, 2023 Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative, DeSantis signed off on pumping $2.5 billion more into I-4 roadways, overhauling […]
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) issued an executive order last week to re-open the investigation regarding the “Tooth Fairy Heist” case that was initially closed in Miami despite five individuals being arrested for an alleged $1.3 million insurance fraud scheme. All charges were dropped. However, the Florida governor has re-assigned an investigation into Dr. Howard Fetner […]
Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a field hearing in Broward County following the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a six-week abortion ban in the Sunshine State. However, the State Supreme Court also gave the go-ahead for Amendment 4 to appear on the ballot, giving Florida residents […]
State Representative Tom Leek (R-FL) has received two key endorsements for his State Senate bid. Support from U.S. Representatives Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Cory Mills (R-FL) could serve well for the state legislator in this election cycle. Rep. Waltz described State Rep. Leek as someone who “consistently delivers results” for Floridians. “Tom Leek upholds conservative […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—No, this is not an April Fools prank; the Florida Supreme Court delivered Monday the monumental decision of allowing both abortion and cannabis to be placed on the November 5th General Election ballot. However, the Court also upheld a 15-week abortion ban—which will soon trigger a six-week ban into place. After holding out until […]
